A seemingly unending stream of new schools greeted President Medina as he toured parts of the far south western provinces yesterday, Thursday 10 July 2014. Medina inaugurated 25 more schools in Barahona, Bahoruco, and Independencia. The new and remodeled schools contain a total of 323 schoolrooms for 12,305 students who will be attending the extended school day. The Ministry of Education says it has spent RD$650.6 million on these new facilities. The President inaugurated the schools in three separate ceremonies held in Barahona, Tamayo and La Descubierta, in the south west of the Dominican Republic.
The first place visited by President Medina was Tamayo, in the province of Bahoruco, where he inaugurated the Lidia Maria Reyes Beltre School, the Jose Gabriel Garcia Primary School and the Gregorio Urbano Gilbert School, located in Monserrat, Los Robles and El Jobo, in Tamayo. The Pedro Mir Primary School, in El Manguito in Neiba, the La Clavellina Primary School, in the municipality of the same name and the Liceo La Clavellina, in Villa Jaragua. The President went on to the province of Independencia to lead the ribbon-cutting ceremonies to inaugurate the La Descubierta and Pilar Mendez Primary Schools, the Jose Francisco Pena Gomez High School in Postrer Rio, the Leonor Nova Volquez Primary School in Jimani and the Manuel Novas Cueva Technical High School, also in Jimani. A central ceremony took place in Barahona, at the Barahona II High School, named after Maria Montez, the movie star who hailed from the province. They inaugurated 14 schools in the provincial capital, including the Barahona II, Maria Trinidad Sanchez, La Guazara and Francisco Amadis Pena high schools. The central speech was delivered by the Minister of Education, Carlos Amarante Baret.